DaisyDragonfly
Keywords (from book): intuition, secrets, mysteries.
It had been a hard morning. Though the sun shone, it hadn’t reached his part of the mountain side. The cattle were restless, sensing something in the air. By the time he reached the banks of Llyn y Fan Fach, he was ready for his rest. He settled down to eat and, as he did, the sun laid its long fingers on the surface of the water.
And there she was, the most beautiful woman in the world. She rose from the waters of the lake, the green reeds and wild roses joining to press themselves against the blue folds of her gown. The water itself danced in pleasure at her wild-haired beauty. Sun-sparkles crowned her. He stared and as he did he lost his heart.
He did his best to woo her; in the end he won her or thought he had. But the woman from the lake - the woman who appeared when the sun rose and when the sun set, the woman who sobbed at a wedding and laughed at a funeral and needed carrying to get to a Christening - wasn’t for his keeping. She could never be his. And though he could love her - in the way that mortal men do - her love was not his.
She knew too much.
She does, this Sorceress, and hers is the deep knowledge of womanhood. This is hidden knowledge, secret knowledge, the mysteries that lurk around the edges of day. The fairy tale of this card is filled with time: she appears at sunrise, she appears at sunset, she appears at noon. There’s spring and there’s midsummer and there’s midwinter. There’s birth and marriage and death. Minutes and hours and days and lifetimes pass - and through it all the mystery remains, to be revealed only when the time is right.
She knows this, too. She gives him three chances but she knows that, soon, the time will come. This Sorceress tells us always to wait and see. Now isn’t the right time.
Why does she cry when two souls are wed? The congregants dance and celebrate the marriage of two hearts. She cries because she knows that death will part them. To love somebody is to be vulnerable, to be open to heartbreak. And so she sobs because without love there is no grief, but without grief there is no love. The universe is a simple place. And she wouldn’t do without one, so she prepares herself for the other.
Why does she laugh when a soul is buried? The congregants sob and celebrate the life of the person they loved. She laughs because she knows that life never ends. As one day fades into the next, as the wheel of the year turns, as the seasons give way to seasons, so do we. The world of which she is part - and more than part - will not allow death the final word. And so she laughs because without life there would be no death, but without death there would be no life. The universe is a simple place. And she wouldn’t do without one, so she prepares herself for the other.
She knows too much.
This isn’t a magical card; this is a mystical card. The wisdom that the Magician has yet to accrue is found here, in this profoundly feminine card. The Sorceress speaks in riddles; though she speaks the truth, you have to have the ears to hear it. Now isn’t the time, mostly, to understand her messages: you have to live with them, you have to learn them. You have to earn them. It’s time to wed wisdom to knowledge.
And no doubt, there’s a coldness to this card. Not cruelty, just the starkness of experience. The Sorceress is linked to Justice is linked to Judgment. If the Magician is endless possibility, the Sorceress is a reminder that reality bites. Of course, the Sorceress also knows that reality can caress. It’s not wise to fall to either extreme, but to know that the possibility for both exists.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
I love this card. I love the fairy tale and I love the lesson. Oh, but I’ve left off the postscript. Beautiful fairytale though this is, it becomes shockingly grounded in reality. The Maiden left her husband, but she also left behind 3 sons. The eldest son, Rhiwallon, was physician to Rhys Gryg, the Lord of Dinefwr and Llandovery castles, in the first half of the 13th Century. His dynasty - the Physicians of Myddvai - is alleged to have come to an end in 1743 with the death of John Jones.
I like this, too. I like that the fairy tale moves from the esoteric to the historical. Heck, it’s even geographical! You can visit Myddfai; you can go stand on the shores of Llyn y Fan Fach. Mystical it might be, but it’s not fanciful. In this card is the story of people, of how real people live and die and love and laugh. And that story - the one we all live, I suppose - lies at the heart of the mystery of this card.
It had been a hard morning. Though the sun shone, it hadn’t reached his part of the mountain side. The cattle were restless, sensing something in the air. By the time he reached the banks of Llyn y Fan Fach, he was ready for his rest. He settled down to eat and, as he did, the sun laid its long fingers on the surface of the water.
And there she was, the most beautiful woman in the world. She rose from the waters of the lake, the green reeds and wild roses joining to press themselves against the blue folds of her gown. The water itself danced in pleasure at her wild-haired beauty. Sun-sparkles crowned her. He stared and as he did he lost his heart.
He did his best to woo her; in the end he won her or thought he had. But the woman from the lake - the woman who appeared when the sun rose and when the sun set, the woman who sobbed at a wedding and laughed at a funeral and needed carrying to get to a Christening - wasn’t for his keeping. She could never be his. And though he could love her - in the way that mortal men do - her love was not his.
She knew too much.
She does, this Sorceress, and hers is the deep knowledge of womanhood. This is hidden knowledge, secret knowledge, the mysteries that lurk around the edges of day. The fairy tale of this card is filled with time: she appears at sunrise, she appears at sunset, she appears at noon. There’s spring and there’s midsummer and there’s midwinter. There’s birth and marriage and death. Minutes and hours and days and lifetimes pass - and through it all the mystery remains, to be revealed only when the time is right.
She knows this, too. She gives him three chances but she knows that, soon, the time will come. This Sorceress tells us always to wait and see. Now isn’t the right time.
Why does she cry when two souls are wed? The congregants dance and celebrate the marriage of two hearts. She cries because she knows that death will part them. To love somebody is to be vulnerable, to be open to heartbreak. And so she sobs because without love there is no grief, but without grief there is no love. The universe is a simple place. And she wouldn’t do without one, so she prepares herself for the other.
Why does she laugh when a soul is buried? The congregants sob and celebrate the life of the person they loved. She laughs because she knows that life never ends. As one day fades into the next, as the wheel of the year turns, as the seasons give way to seasons, so do we. The world of which she is part - and more than part - will not allow death the final word. And so she laughs because without life there would be no death, but without death there would be no life. The universe is a simple place. And she wouldn’t do without one, so she prepares herself for the other.
She knows too much.
This isn’t a magical card; this is a mystical card. The wisdom that the Magician has yet to accrue is found here, in this profoundly feminine card. The Sorceress speaks in riddles; though she speaks the truth, you have to have the ears to hear it. Now isn’t the time, mostly, to understand her messages: you have to live with them, you have to learn them. You have to earn them. It’s time to wed wisdom to knowledge.
And no doubt, there’s a coldness to this card. Not cruelty, just the starkness of experience. The Sorceress is linked to Justice is linked to Judgment. If the Magician is endless possibility, the Sorceress is a reminder that reality bites. Of course, the Sorceress also knows that reality can caress. It’s not wise to fall to either extreme, but to know that the possibility for both exists.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
I love this card. I love the fairy tale and I love the lesson. Oh, but I’ve left off the postscript. Beautiful fairytale though this is, it becomes shockingly grounded in reality. The Maiden left her husband, but she also left behind 3 sons. The eldest son, Rhiwallon, was physician to Rhys Gryg, the Lord of Dinefwr and Llandovery castles, in the first half of the 13th Century. His dynasty - the Physicians of Myddvai - is alleged to have come to an end in 1743 with the death of John Jones.
I like this, too. I like that the fairy tale moves from the esoteric to the historical. Heck, it’s even geographical! You can visit Myddfai; you can go stand on the shores of Llyn y Fan Fach. Mystical it might be, but it’s not fanciful. In this card is the story of people, of how real people live and die and love and laugh. And that story - the one we all live, I suppose - lies at the heart of the mystery of this card.
She can wake up in the morning, other day in the afternoon, or may be to the evening if her parents would tired from her sleeping and not waking her up.
this card as the High Priestess. Though I must admit, I understand the concept of it, I do wonder how it would translate into advice during a reading. Time to think up some questions... or even interview the character. Lots of tarot fun!
